November is Diabetes Awareness Month and November 14 is World Diabetes Day. It’s an opportune time to take note of your current health and learn how diabetes can affect your life — and how UC resources can help you make lifestyle changes to prevent Type 2 diabetes or manage it if you’ve been diagnosed with the condition.
Learn how to understand and prevent Type 2 diabetes.
Introducing the UC DPP
All 10 campuses now have a UC Diabetes Prevention Program (UC DPP), which is free for all faculty and staff thanks to the work of the Global Food Initiative’s Healthy Campus Network (HCN). The UC DPP is a year-long program that follows the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Diabetes Program.
Here’s how it works: DPP Participants meet for one-hour sessions in small ‘cohorts’ with 10–20 faculty and staff members who are at-risk for diabetes. Led by trained lifestyle coaches, these sessions help participants learn to meet their health goals through education, encouragement and tools — including stress management techniques, tips for increasing physical activity, nutrition information and motivational support. Participants track their progress throughout a year, participating in weigh-ins and measuring time spent exercising. The program’s goal is for participants to lose 5-7% of their overall body weight while exercising at least 150 minutes each week.
“I think the most beneficial part of the program is the peer support that’s provided to the participants,” says Kathleen Yumul, wellness coordinator, UCSF. “There’s a real sense of group camaraderie as people navigate through the issues that arise when trying to combat Type 2 diabetes. They also get to connect with and meet other UCSF staff. It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to get together and talk about important issues in a safe space.”
“To be able to access a program of this caliber at no charge is an amazing opportunity,” adds Linda W. Adams, dietitian, UC Davis Occupational Health Services. “I highly encourage those who are eligible to take part.”
Learn more about the DPP, including its history, results so far and participant feedback.
UC DPP eligibility
“The ultimate goal of this UC-wide offering is to combat the growing epidemic of Type 2 diabetes and to prevent those who have prediabetes from developing Type 2 diabetes,” explains Kelly Shedd, program director, Fitness and Wellness, UCLA Recreation. “Our specific criteria for the program are intended to target the individuals who are positioned to benefit most.”
To be eligible for the DPP, participants must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a BMI of 25 or greater (Individuals of Asian descent may have a BMI of 23+)
- And demonstrate one of the following:
- Blood test with a prediabetes diagnosis in the last year
- Past diagnosis of gestational diabetes
- A Risk Test score of five or greater*
*The CDC created the Risk Test to help adults better understand their risk of diabetes and whether they would benefit from participating in DPP. The Risk Test includes a few simple questions and takes less than two minutes to complete. Take the test.
Locate the UC DPP on your campus
Access the UC DPP at your campus using the links below.
- UC Berkeley
- UC Davis
- UC Irvine
- UC Los Angeles
- UC Merced
- UC Riverside
- UC San Diego
- UC San Francisco
- UC Santa Barbara
- UC Santa Cruz (Sidebar link coming soon)
Next up for the Healthy Campus Network Initiative: The Healthy Beverage Initiative!